Tuesday, 24 April 2012

Vien

Vivienne Bartholomew describes Church Road as the "anti shopping mall experience". Ever since those anonymous temples to consumerism took over the world with their identikit stores and sterile environments, sucking the life out of our towns, there has been a growing desire to get back to the idea of shops serving a community as they did in the past, rather than remote corporate giants driven solely by profit and serving only their share-holders. Places like Church Road are firmly rooted in their community, while also being places where people expect something a little different, more stimulating.We seem to have reached a turning point lately, with high profile efforts by the likes of Mary Portas and other campaigners to rescue our high streets before it's too late. On the ground, this gradual renaissance is driven by people like Vivienne. Like many other shopkeepers on the Triangle, she started in Haynes Lane Market, which seems to act as a kind of nursery for local entrepreneurs. With a keen eye for mixing beautiful vintage printed dresses with elegant homewares, she soon needed a larger space that she could mould in her own way.Elaborating on her earlier comment, Vivienne argues that shopping should be as much a social interaction as a commercial one. To that end, she has recently added a delightful teashop at the back of her vintage store. Called Samadhi, meaning bliss, it encourages customers to relax and stay awhile, and seems to enhance and complete the whole shop. She adds that the intent is simply to create a pleasant environment, rather than being a hard headed business decision, but it's proving popular, and the shop is thriving as a result. Many of Vivienne's attitudes about life and business stem from her interest in meditation. She and her husband Paul have spent time in India learning philosophy and meditation from a guru, Swami Shyam, and they plan to hold regular meditation classes in the teashop. So next time you find yourself getting stressed out in a shopping mall, head up to the Triangle for a higher plane of existence.

About The Triangle & Me

The Triangle is a photo journal about a little corner of South London. I am a Photographer specialising in Interiors and Architecture, & I moved to Upper Norwood/Crystal Palace/Gipsy Hill/SE19 (you choose) back in 2006, and saw immediately what a strong community exists here. One of the things that makes the area different, is that unlike most of the towns and villages that make up London, it is not arranged along an endless high street on the way to somewhere else, but instead is centred on the 3 streets which gives the area its "Triangle" soubriquet. As well as its community spirit, the area also possesses a strongly independent streak, which is reflected in its diverse local shops and restaurants, many of which are locally owned and run businesses. Unusually for London, apart from the usual banks and estate agents, you don't find many national chains here. So the aim of this blog is to photograph as many of these businesses on the Triangle, both the premises and the owners or those who run them, to celebrate this rich community.